Left is just right for Scholes

It was Lampard, after all, who enjoyed the rare distinction of coming out on top in his head-to-head battle with Vieira when Chelsea knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League.

David Beckham, who showed against Iceland just how much more effective he is wide on the right, completes England's midfield quartet, lining up against Zinedine Zidane. Although Zidane starts on the left flank, he has the freedom to roam across the pitch and is more likely to trouble Gerrard and Lampard than Beckham.

Pinning down the elusive Zidane remains Eriksson's biggest tactical worry and the tenacious Butt is the player best equipped for this job. But his inclusion would deny England some of the attacking impetus that Lampard and Gerrard would provide.

Eriksson is a cautious, logical coach and to my mind it would represent something of a gamble by him to face the French with a team that has no specialist tackler in midfield.

But he said: "Zidane is going to be a headache whatever formation you chose. If we marked him man for man we would lose a lot from our own play and I'm not prepared to do that."

Only a week ago, the Swedish coach hinted that the Zidane factor had convinced him that England's best chance was rooted in a diamond-shaped midfield. Saturday's performance seems to have changed his mind.

"It's not a problem for us," he insisted. "This squad can play both ways. We'll look at it again in training this week."

In European Championship terms, the six-goal thumping of a team like Iceland is as irrelevant as the 1-1 draw with Japan but a few goals certainly help morale.

Eriksson insisted: "We've shown our potential many times. We've lost just one competitive game in the last three years.

"The most important thing is not our formation, but whether we play well. That's what counts."